Breastfeeding the Late Preterm Infant: Hospital-Based Lactation Consultants Lead the Way
- Identify at least three barriers to adequate breastfeeding for the late preterm infant.
- Specify at least 4 strategies to promote breastfeeding for late preterm infants in the delivery room and postpartum units.
- Describe three components to be included on discharge instructions that address the unique breastfeeding needs of late preterm infants.
Proposed change: The department took on a new direction and committed to having daily lactation consultant bedside visits to all families of hospitalized LPI’s forging the way to improve breastfeeding support for this population. A form was created to communicate which infants required daily visits.
The authors are lactation consultant “candidates” having met all requirements and tested for certification (currently awaiting test results). Despite being “new”, the authors were challenged to forge ahead and review the current, evidence-based principles that need to guide our lactation support efforts specifically for LPIs, and to present findings to our fellow departmental colleagues.
Implementation, outcomes and evaluation: While lactation consultants work directly with these families, postpartum nurses are key team players who promote breastfeeding. Because the Parent Education Department also leads all maternity nurses in breastfeeding knowledge and practice, increasing awareness of the special breastfeeding needs of LPI’s was essential. Presenting the most current evidence-based practice during lactation rounds would forge the way to imrpove breastfeeding support for families of LPI’s. Outcomes of the concentrated efforts surrounding breastfeeding LPI’s include the current development of educational printed materials specifically addressing breastfeeding for parents to aid in discharge planning.
Implications for nursing practice: Nurses who work with LPI’s and their families need to understand the factors that interfere with breastfeeding that are unique to these infants, have strategies to evaluate, assist and support breastfeeding efforts and be able to plan for the discharge of breastfeeding LPI’s.
Keywords: late preterm infant, breastfeeding
